The present invention relates to wireless communication devices, such as cellular radiotelephones, and particularly relates to mixing audio content in wireless communication devices.
Wireless communication devices historically provided only basic communication functions. Limited battery performance and the lack of inexpensive user interface elements (graphical displays, decent audio components, etc.) represent some of the reasons underlying the paucity of extra features in older wireless communication devices. Further, network capabilities played into the mix of feature inclusion considerations. Early wireless communication networks offered traditional circuit-switched voice and fax services, and little else.
As such, “live” voice communications represented the only source for the audio signals handled by these older, traditional communication handsets. In contrast, contemporary wireless communication devices generally must select and play desired audio (and video) content from a variety of possible sources. The added complexity arises because contemporary wireless communication devices and their supporting networks offer a range of functions and services.
For example, increased data rates and support for Internet protocols enable the delivery of multimedia content by current wireless communication networks to appropriately configured portable devices. Moreover, the increased memory and improved user interfaces of such devices enhance their users' multimedia playback experience and, against this backdrop, it is not uncommon for a communication handset to double as a music or multimedia player, capable of playing audio and/or video content received over the air in a streaming format or as a file download, or transferred to the handset through its local communication interface (e.g., USB port).